The Love I'd Fallen On
by tyche fortuna
Summary: The night Terry was bored. The night Morag made a third friend. The night Michael realized he loved someone and the night Lisa protected someone she loved.


Terry was bored. Extremely bored. The classwork had been easy lately as the teachers were trying to compensate for the Carrows. Snape had cancelled Quidditch, and Neville was still ironing out the details of the newly re-started Dumbledore's Army with Ginny. Basically it was October of his seventh year, he had nothing to read, nothing to write, no one to discuss with, nothing to _do_. So he settled for annoying people.

Terry headed to the library and scoured it. He spotted Michael and sat down across from him.

"Stupid McGonagall." Michael cursed as he flipped the pages. "This essay is impossible."

"Just ask Lisa." Terry said lifting the books and reading the titles Michael was looking at. "She's best at Transfiguration."

"No." Michael glowered at his book and then slammed it shut and reached for another one.

"Trouble in paradise?" Terry smirked.

"Shut it." Michael flipped to a different page, stared at it for a moment, then leaned back in his chair. "She's in detention."

"What for?" Terry said straightening the books in front of him. It wasn't surprising. Lisa had a good family: mom, dad, older brother, and younger brother. She'd been sheltered for most of her life and wasn't adjusting well to the Carrow's new regime. She and Michael had gotten into plenty of fights about her inability to censor herself.

"She told the Carrows she was the one who stole the book from the restricted section." Michael scowled finally.

"So?"

"So?" Michael echoed. "I stole it! She didn't want me to get in trouble so she said it was her." Terry didn't say anything. "I'm being a wanker aren't I?" Michael said finally. Terry looked up at him.

"She's going to get crucio'd for her boyfriend and when she comes back to the common room he won't be there for her." He stated. Michael groaned and ran his hand through his hair.

"I've got to go wait for her." He said packing up his stuff. "I'm such a wanker." He muttered again.

"But you're a wanker who cares!" Terry called after him grinning. He was met with shushing from around him. He stood searching the library for someone interesting. He saw braided red hair and then looked around once more before sighing in defeat and going to sit across her.

"Morag." He smiled in what he hoped was a pleasant manner but she looked up at him her eyes wide with disbelief.

"Terry." She said her voice surprisingly sharp for someone who so rarely spoke. "Do you need something?" She asked after a moment.

"Not really." He shrugged. "Just…"

"Bored?" She finished setting down her book and leaning back in her chair.

"Pretty much." Terry answered unashamed. "What are you doing?"

"Reading." She said tapping her fingers on her book. Terry leaned forward clasping his hands together and staring at her intently. "What?" She asked unsteadily.

"Why don't you ever talk?" He asked finally.

"I'm talking right now." She countered leaning forward and resting her head on her hands so that she was matching his gaze.

"Yeah but you usually don't. Never in class, never around people, only time I see you talk is when you're with Anthony or Padma." Morag shrugged.

"They're my friends." She then smiled slightly. "Besides, maybe I don't think other people are worth my time."

"For never talking you're quite sassy." Terry said finally breaking away from her gaze. He leaned back and crossed his arms. "What do you do anyway?"

"Sorry?" She asked looking confused.

"You're only in two N.E.W.T.s," Terry began to list, "you aren't in the D.A., you aren't a prefect, you aren't—weren't," he amended "in Quidditch, what do you do with your life?"

"Read." Morag slapped her book and crossed her legs. "Read and watch people."

"Watch people?" Terry questioned.

"Yes. Watch people. You learn a lot from observing."

"Such as?" Morag smiled and stood up shoving her books in her bag.

"Come on." She beckoned at him. "I'll show you." Terry stood and followed her out of the bookcase they were between. "See Pince?" She motioned toward the stingy librarian.

"Yeah?" Terry whispered. "What are you—"

"She loves the Ancient Runes books. They're her favorite." Morag pulled out her wand and gave her wrist a quick twist. There was a loud thud as a book in the back corner of the library hit the ground. Pince hurriedly rushed off and Morag ducked behind the desk and yanked open one of the drawers and pulled something out then made it back next to Terry just as Madame Pince returned.

"Have a nice day." Terry laughed as he followed Morag's quick stride out of the library. "What was that?" He asked in full volume when they had made it out.

"Pince keeps candy in her bottom drawer." Morag grinned as she opened her palm to reveal chocolate frogs. "I like to swipe some when I get antsy. Helps calm me down." She dropped one in Terry's outstretched hand.

"Impressive." He said. "Very impressive."

"You sound doubtful. Want to see more?" Morag asked. Terry nodded.

"Come on." She motioned towards him. "People are still in the Great Hall for dinner." Terry followed after her as they walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Ravenclaw table, Morag facing Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, Terry facing Slytherin. He poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice as she took a piece of bread and tore off a piece eating it as she gazed intently over Terry's shoulder. "Aha!" She said after a moment. "Turn around, carefully! And look, that brunette, the one next to Creevey? Watch the way she touches him." Terry turned around casually and watched as the girl, Demelza he thought, touched Colin lightly and hesitantly. She double-backed each motion before finally laying a hand on his shoulder. However a moment later he leaned next to her and kissed her square on the mouth confidently.

"So?" Terry asked turning back to face Morag, her face fell.

"They're dating right?" She said stretching her words out as though she was speaking to a child.

"Yeah."

"Well see the way she touches him? She's hesitant, scared. She obviously doesn't want to be in that close proximity to him." Terry turned back around. She was right, Demelza was fidgeting nervously and every time Colin would slide closer to her she would back away partially. "But now, watch, when she actually does touch him, she's light, cautious, tender almost. You know what that means?"

"She cares about him, just not that way." Terry turned back to Morag. She beamed at him. "Alright." He shrugged. "Rather impressive."

"Rather?" Morag raised an eyebrow. "You missed a crucial detail my friend. You see the boy across Colin?"

"The one refusing to look at Demelza?"

"Yep." Morag smiled. "That's Jimmy Peakes. Right now he's avoiding Demelza, as you've noticed, and only focused on Colin so—"

"He's gay?" Terry cut her off.

"No." Morag rolled her eyes. "Watch. Anytime Demelza and Colin touch Jimmy looks away. Jimmy and Demelza are adamantly avoiding eye contact only looking at Colin. I know them, the three of them are best friends, and there is obviously a rift. But what's the rift?" Morag watched Terry as he watched the three sixth years. "Do you see it?"

"No." Terry shook his head puzzled. Colin stood up and left the Great Hall leaving with a parting kiss for Demelza. The minute he was out of sight she and Peakes leaned closer to each other and she put her head in her hands and didn't look at him. He laid a hand on her shoulder and began to speak close in her ear. "They like each other." Terry said realization dawning on his face.

"Exactly!" Morag smiled widely. "They like each other. But they're all best friends and when Colin wanted to go out with Demelza she wasn't going to say no, was she?"

"So they're stuck." Terry said swiveling back to face Morag and looking at her with awe. "That's amazing." She smiled with a corner of her mouth. "Do me." He said and she let her half-smile turn into a full smirk.

"I'd prefer not to do you in the middle of the Great Hall. Think you can contain your excitement until we reach North Tower?" Terry grinned at her innuendo and nodded. They both stood and walked towards the common room. They walked next to each other but didn't touch, didn't talk. Terry answered the question at the door with ease and they made it to the common room where Terry turned to face her.

"So." He grinned and moved closer she backed away smiling and he moved closer, and she backed away. They continued this until he was walking after her laughing and she was smiling and walking backwards towards the stairs until the portrait hole opened again. Terry looked away and Michael jumped up from where he had been sitting unnoticed by the two teenagers on the couch to meet Lisa.

"How was it?" He asked hurriedly walking over to her briskly.

"Fine." She nodded and crossed her arms. "Fine." He grabbed her china and lifted it so that they had eye contact and then Lisa broke into tears and hugged him sobbing as he hugged her back. Morag sighed and leaned against the wooden panel behind her.

"Can you tell?" She whispered to Terry. He stared at them a moment longer. At Michael twirling his fingers in her hair and hugging her so tightly Terry could see the muscles straining in his arms. He then shifted his gaze to Lisa who was scrunching his shirt in her fists and pulling him closer shoving her face into the crook of his neck.

"He doesn't know she loves him just as much as he loves her." Terry said finally and he turned back to look at Morag. "Right?" He demanded.

"I've taught you well." She smiled and then leaned upward as he leaned down and they kissed. They kissed in the innocent and most purest way possible, without an agenda, without a motive, without an intent, simply for the reason that they'd had a nice afternoon in the middle of a war and wanted something to end it before heading up to their respective dorm rooms. And that's what they got.


End file.
